General advertising requirements

The information provided by QC Cốc Cốc advertisers must meet all the requirements established by the Advertising Law in 2012 and other involved legal documents.

Advertisers must clearly describe their advertised products or services, promotions, purchasing processes and payment methods through their images, product descriptions, links and landing pages. Advertising content displayed on QC Cốc Cốc, including images, headline and product description, must be clear and understandable for users, and must match the information on the landing page. All content on the Advertiser’s website must abide by the laws of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

I. Prohibited content

a. Prohibited products and services

Products and services that are prohibited by Vietnamese Law.

Tobacco products and all related services/ products, including: Tobacco or any products containing tobacco, products that form a component part of a tobacco product, products, services that directly facilitate or promote tobacco consumption; products designed to mimic tobacco smoking.

Alcoholic beverages with alcohol content greater than 15% (30 proof).

Milk used to substitute for breast milk (formula milk) for infants under two years old.

Prescription drugs, or non-prescription drugs that state agencies have recommended restricting the use of, or limiting the use to require doctor supervision.

Products or goods that have aphrodisiac properties.

Firearms and ammunition, sport weapons and any products that incite violence.

Products that violate intellectual property laws.

Promotion of the following gambling-related content:

Offline and online illegal gambling

Online games that contain illegal gambling and betting factors

"Illegal gambling" means gambling acts, in whatever form, for the purpose of earning winnings in cash or in kind without permission of a competent state agency, or with permission of a competent state agency but at variance with the granted license - (Please review article 248 and 249 of the Penal Code).

Credit institutions, foreign bank branches, and other institutions providing domestic and/or offshore foreign exchange services that have not received written approval from the State Bank of Vietnam.

Other products, goods, and services that are prohibited from being advertised by the government under current or future laws.

b. Prohibited content

Using superlative words such as "the most", "unique", "best", "number one" or words with a similar meaning without legal documents that prove the statement.

Expressing racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, prejudice against people with disabilities, or violating freedom of belief and religion.

Using images, words, or personal letters without the individual’s consent, except in cases permitted by law.

Using advertisements to defame organizations or individuals.

Directly comparing price, quality and efficiency of products, goods or services with the price, quality and efficiency of products, goods, or services from other organizations or individuals.

Encouraging children to develop thoughts or undertake actions that are contrary to morals, fine customs and traditions, or adversely affect the health, safety or development of children.

Material value used for sales promotion for a unit of promoted goods or service exceeds 50% of the price of such promoted goods or service unit before the sales promotion, except:

7.1. Giving of sample goods or provision of sample services free of charge to customers for trial use

7.2. Presentation of goods as gifts or free-of-charge provision of services to customers without accompanied goods sale and purchase or service provision

7.3. Sale of goods or provision of services together with promotional contest entry forms to customers for the purpose of selecting prize winners according to rules and prizes already announced

7.4. Sale of goods or provision of services together with customers' participation in promotional games of chance

7.5. Organization of frequent-shopper programs

8. Information and images banned from drug advertisements

8.1.Information and images prescribed in the Law on Advertising.
8.2. Information that causes misunderstanding about the ingredients, effects, indications or origin of the drug.
8.3. Information causing the viewers to believe that the drug is the best, the drug can be used without physician’s counsel, the drug is completely harmful, the drug has no contraindications or adverse effects.
8.4. Words or images that exaggerate the effects of the drug.
8.5. Information that equates effects of some ingredient of the drug with effects of the drug.
8.6. The following words and phrases: “điều trị tận gốc”, “tiệt trừ”, “chuyên trị” (“complete treatment"), “hàng đầu”, “đầu bảng”, “đầu tay” (“best”, “top”), “lựa chọn”, “chất lượng cao” (“high-quality”), “đảm bảo 100%” (“100% guarantee”), “an toàn” (“safe”), “dứt”, “cắt đứt”, “chặn đứng” (“stop”, “end”), “giảm ngay”, “giảm liền”, “giảm tức thì” (“relieve instantly”), “khỏi ngay”, “khỏi hẳn” (“treat instantly”), “yên tâm”, “không lo”, “khỏi lo” (”no worries”), “khuyên dùng” (“recommended”), “hotline”, “điện thoại tư vấn” (“hotline”).
8.7. The following indications:
a) Treatment of tuberculosis or leprosy;
b) Treatment of sexually transmitted diseases;
c) Treatment of insomnia;
d) Aphrodisiac indications;
dd) Treatment of cancers or tumors;
e) Drug detoxification;
g) Treatment of diabetes mellitus or similar metabolic disorders;
h) Treatment of viral hepatitis or new dangerous diseases.
8.8. Drug or medicinal ingredient quality test results.
8.9. Pre-clinical study results.
8.10. Clinical study results or bioequivalence study results that have not been recognized by the Ministry of Health.
8.11. Names, positions, letters of other organizations or individuals used for advertising purposes.
8.12. Origin of the drug or medicinal ingredient used for advertising purposes.
8.13. Image, name or symbol of a health worker.
8.14. Images of an animal or plant on the list of endangered species.
8.15. Words that are expressed as advice or tips that recommend the drug.
8.16. Images of patients used for the description of symptoms or effects of the drug that are not conformable with relevant documents and instructions provided or recognized by the Ministry of Health.

9. Content and requirements in advertising functional food

9.1 The landing page and the banner ad on Coc Coc browser's new tab must include a disclaimer: " This product is not pharmacy and does not work as a substitute for medication"

9.2 Information that causes misunderstanding about the ingredients, effects of the functional food, which supposes this product to be medicine will be denied.

Advertisements in QC Cốc Cốc are also required to comply with all other regulations of Vietnamese Advertising Law. For more information, please click here: Vietnamese advertising law.

II. Goods and services that need special approval

Advertiser’s displayed content must correspond with the ad content and be approved by an authorized state agency. Such approval must be displayed on the landing page:

Ads for pharmaceutical drugs

Ads for cosmetics

Ads for chemicals, insecticides and disinfectants for domestic and medical use

Ads for milk and nutritional products for infants

Ads for food and food additives

Ads for medical examination and treatment

Ads for veterinary medicines and products

Ads for fertilizers, biological products used in agriculture, animal feed, and livestock antibiotics

Ads for games

Firework

Functional food.

Note: Advertisers have an obligation to ensure full documentation and must have the ability to provide documentation proving the legality of advertising content and products as required by Cốc Cốc or Authorized Agencies.

III. Advertising requirements

a. Ad headline and ad text requirements

Language: The language used in advertisements must be Vietnamese, except for trademarks, slogans, names, or international words that cannot be replaced by Vietnamese.

Disallowed ad text:

Lowercase first letter of a sentence or other improper capitalization, except when it is a brand name. E.g: capital, CAPITALIZATION, CapiTalizAtioN.

Symbols, numbers, and words that have incorrect meanings or are not used in accordance to their proper usage.

Landing pages cannot have violent, depraved, disgusting, or otherwise inappropriate content. Landing pages that do no match the fine habits and customs of Vietnamese people or violate Vietnamese Advertising law are not acceptable.

For normal ads, the landing page content should be written in Vietnamese, except for product brands, slogans, brand names, or names which cannot be replaced by Vietnamese. If the landing page is written in a foreign language, the ad content must have a notification about the language used on the landing page.

c. Image requirements:

Image file size must not exceed the allowable size.

Image must be good quality, without distortion, clipping, noise, or blurry products. Users should be able to clearly see the full image of advertised products.

Text in images must be clear, correct and not misleading to users about the advertiser’s promotion, products, or services.

Slang words or foul language are not allowed on images. Local words should only be used for ads in that particular location.

The image must be relevant to the ad content.

Images cannot mimic popular software or interface elements.

Graphic or inappropriate images are not allowed.

Images that show injuries, other physical disabilities, or dismemberment of humans or animals, are not allowed.

Images that contain body parts of women that are sexually suggestive are not allowed.

Images that include the use of two or more images for comparative purposes are not allowed.

Advertisers must have all rights to use their images and must take responsibility for using their images.

d. Address requirements

Address must be in Vietnam.

Address must include the name of the city, street, road, number and building.

Country name should not be included in the address.

Brief instructions on how to find the address are accepted.

Other information, such as phone number, email, and website, is not allowed.

Everyone should be able to receive advertised goods or services at the registered address.

QC Cốc Cốc maintains the right to check the authenticity of an address at any time.

e. Geographic location requirement

This feature allows you to restrict ad displaying to users who are at the chosen business locations. You can set the displaying location to nationwide or to specific cities as you wish. However, you must ensure the ability of delivering the advertised products/servic es within the chosen locations.

f. Keywords requirement

Keywords: Keywords are the words/phrases that you choose for your ad to be presented to certain users at a certain time. The relation between your set keywords and the ones users search for plays a critical requirement for your ad to be displayed. Having said that, qualified keywords must be closely related to the ad.

Keyword must match the content of the ad.

For example, to promote a restaurant in Hanoi, the suitable keywords: “restaurant”, “restaurant in Hanoi”; whereas “Hanoi” is not.

Navigational keywords (such as brand names, website URL's, etc.) are not prohibited as long as they are relevant to an advertised product or service.

IV. License requirements for specific products or services.

Ads for pharmaceutical drugs

1.1. The remaining validity certificate of drug registration

1.2.The letter of direction to use drug, approved by Ministry of Health

2.1. Food or food additive products endorsed by the certificate of declaration of conformity to food safety regulations or certificate of declaration of conformity issued by the competent regulatory authorities

3.2. Valid and authoritative materials that demonstrate features and useful effects of these cosmetic products. This will happen if the advertisement content provides information about features or useful effects of these products but such information are not included in the notification of cosmetic products of which the receiving numbers have been issued by competent authorities.

Ads for chemicals, insecticides and disinfectants for domestic and medical use

4.1. The remaining validity certificate of drug registration

4.2. The remaining validity certification of advertisement contents

Ads for milk and nutritional products for infants

5.1. The standard certificate, food safety and hygiene certificate with domestic product, or the product quality certificate issued by the competent agency of the producing country and the circulation license with imported product, for imported products.

5.2. The remaining validity certification of advertisement contents

5.3.Valid and authoritative materials that demonstrate features, useful effects and particulars of these products. This will apply if the advertisement content provides information about features, useful effects and particulars of these products but such information are not included in the description of details about products verified by competent authorities

5.4. Description of details about products which have been verified by competent authorities.

Ads for food and food additives

6.1. Food or food additive products endorsed by the certificate of declaration of conformity to food safety regulations or certificate of declaration of conformity issued by the competent regulatory authorities.

6.2. The remaining validity certification of advertisement contents

Ads for medical examination and treatment

7.1. The remaining validity certification of advertisement contents

7.2. The license to provide medical services of the medical facility or the practising certificate of the medical practitioner.

Ads for medial equipments

8.1. The certificate of free sales with medical equipment domestically produced or Importing License with imported medical equipment

12.1. The product quality certificate or the written product quality announcement

12.2. The remaining validity certification of advertisement contents

This regulation may be changed or amended depending on changes to Vietnamese Law. Your continued use of our Advertising system after the changes is considered as your agreement to these changes.

In case of discovery or notification by a third party that any information or content violates our Terms of Service or Vietnamese Advertising law, QC Cốc Cốc may reject your ads or stop them in the Cốc Cốc Advertising System. If the account violates the law more than twice with the same error, QC Cốc Cốc has the right to permanently close the account without refunding the amount left in the account.

If you see any advertising violations on QC Cốc Cốc or feel someone is violating your intellectual property, please e-mail to support_qc@coccoc.com, or call to hotline: (024) 38 838 838.